Announcing the 2022 John Edwardson, ’72, Social New Venture Challenge Finalists

Today 7 teams were selected from a record-breaking 20 Phase II ventures to pitch their social impact startups during the John Edwardson, ’72, Social New Venture Challenge (SNVC) Finals on Wednesday, June 1.

Student finalists will compete for $175,000 in startup capital during the 12th annual Edwardson SNVC, which is the social impact track of the University of Chicago’s nationally ranked business launch program, the New Venture Challenge. Hosted by the Rustandy Center and the Polsky Center, the SNVC has jump-started more than 150 game-changing, mission-driven ventures who have raised more than $165 million. 

Congratulations to the 2022 SNVC finalists:

Aloe Points
Aloe Points is a social commerce platform that empowers users to pursue climate and environmental action. Their mission is to democratize environmental action to the masses and make it the part of daily lives and cultural priority it deserves to be. They aim to achieve this through Aloe Points’ mobile app, which hosts gamified action-oriented challenges in the domain of environmental sustainability, leverages social features, and offers rewards-based incentives with their verified sustainable businesses to motivate greener choices.  

Aprendi
Aprendi is a web-based visual content creation and management tool built to help practitioners supporting children with mental health disorders provide personalized visual aids for therapy. Their mission is to remove friction from the visual creation process while simultaneously allowing practitioners to create more engaging content for the children they support.

Counselors for America
Counselors for America (CFA) is a two-sided nonprofit expanding comprehensive school-based mental health by providing under-resourced public schools with full-time mental health providers and behind-the-scenes support to universally screen and proactively treat student mental health; while building a subsidized pathway to clinical licensure and employment for school mental health providers.

Demi
Demi is on a mission to make composting the new normal. Composting offers a way for individuals to take meaningful action to combat the climate crisis that the world is facing. They do this by partnering with building managers to offer everyday residents sleek, biodegradable composting bins, streamlined pick-up services, and a mobile app that makes composting fun and engaging.

Mizaru
Mizaru is an online marketplace changing how the world works together to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. Mizaru’s platform connects people with disabilities with on-demand, pre-vetted freelance service providers. They currently focus on sign language interpreters and facilitators empowering Deaf and DeafBlind people to live more independently.

TechPass
TechPass is a platform that gives underrepresented tech students a personalized roadmap and connections to their first tech job. Employers obtain visibility, pipeline, and early exposure to candidates - while students get employer-approved guidance as they showcase their whole selves.

Together.Science
Together.Science provides students with a free web-based tool to author and check math work individually or in a group, and teachers with an effortless way to demonstrate, share, and assign work, and grade submissions.

This event is open to all members of the UChicago community and the general public. Register to attend the 2022 SNVC Finals in-person at the Harper Center or online.

The SNVC is the cornerstone of the Rustandy Center’s Edwardson Social Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Chicago, an initiative named in recognition of a 2016 gift by John Edwardson, ’72, retired chairman and CEO of CDW and co-chair of Advance Illinois.